CH 1350.

Chapter 1350. Judgment / Scapegoat

Then, Tsukiko and Shou-neechan stayed behind to check and scrape the memories of the rebel troops and police.

We’ll erase all information about us from their minds.

「 Come here 」

Minaho-neesan calls me to the backroom of the underground warehouse.

Inside is a small office-like room with a desk, laptop, and a phone.

「 Kouzuki-sama wants to talk to you 」

Jii-chan does?

Oh, he’s watching from somewhere.

Our school is full of cameras and microphones Minaho-neesan set up.

There’s no better place for live coverage than there.

Minaho-neesan faced the laptop to me and then…

Jii-chan’s at the screen.

『 It seems that you had troubles 』

Jii-chan’s laughing.

Seems like he was watching from his mansion.

「 He will hear you, just talk 」

Minaho-neesan told me.

I sat down in front of the laptop.

「 It’s rough, I mean, it’s still ongoing 」

We just caught the perpetrators

The people in the Kouzuki house who tried to drag me down aren’t cleaned up yet.

『 Leave the Kouzuki house to me. It’s not yet time for you to think about that 』

Since Jii-chan, the head of the Kouzuki house is still alive and well, I can’t interfere in the affairs of the family.

『 Those who messed with you disobeyed my will so they will be penalized accordingly 』

Jii-chan said.

『 This is a shame of our house. But if we can sort this out, we will be stronger in the future 』

「 That’s why you let the rebellion happen on purpose, right? 」

The fact that someone out of nowhere is accepted as Misuzu’s partner, the daughter of the head of the Kouzuki house, was amazing in itself.

Then, if the Kouzuki SS, the private army of the Kouzuki house is given to that person…

Naturally, there will be people who will want to take me out no matter what.

『 Basically. Whenever you reform the system, reactionary forces will appear. If you don’t take them out while they’re weak, then they’ll become seeds of trouble later on 』

「 They were still in a weak state? 」

Nearly ten rebel units and about 10 policemen invaded our school.

『 Even if they’re from a branch family, they’re still from the Kouzuki house. It would be scarier if they hired someone like Cesario Viola or a foreign underground organization

Jii-chan smiled wryly.

『 It’s all just Japanese this time, and they weren’t serious to the point that they had to plant a real bomb, right? 』

「 Still, they pretended that they might have a bomb, right? 」

『 That was a bluff. It’s just a way to put pressure on the guards and have them feel like they have to keep an eye on the whole campus at all times so that they devote their manpower to it 』

「 So they had no intention to plant the bomb? 」

『 Yes. However, there’s still a percent chance that a bomb has been planted, and the guards have to deal with it accordingly 』

Even if they’re not serious, one has to keep constant watch because the bomb might be real.

『 That’s enough of an effect, don’t you think? 』

「 Yeah, I think 」

『 If it were a foreign organization, then they won’t hesitate to set off bombs or anything else if they think it’ll be quicker. They’ll do things without worrying about casualties to the public 』

Jii-chan on the screen speaks to me.

『 In Japan, they won’t set the whole forest on fire to kill a single tiger in the forest. However, foreigners do it. They don’t think about the value of the forest or how many other animals live in it. All they can think about is how to achieve their goals efficiently without empathy for others 』

Even the Kouzuki SS rebel squads would have a hard time with their conscience to involve high-school students who are just enjoying the school festival together with their family and friends.

That kind of method is available to organizations outside the country.

They don’t hesitate to destroy communities where others live. They can do that without batting an eye.

『 Therefore, I think it’s good that we’re able to prune this way during this period 』

Jii-chan said.

『 Your judgment was also right. Generous to those who are pulled by the ringleaders, but harsh on the ringleaders without taking their lives. Well, it was the right thing to do, because it’s better to let them live and humiliate themselves, that horror will spread in the future 』

The ringleaders will pee and defecate themselves whenever they see or hear the name Kouzuki or Kuromori.

『 So far, I’ve been in charge of creating the horrors behind the scenes in the Kouzuki house 』

Jii-chan was making people in front and behind the scenes get in awe of the Kouzuki house.

『 However, Misuzu, Ruriko, and Yoshiko will have to take over that job. I don’t want them to cover themselves in mud 』

Yeah.

I also don’t want Misuzu to do work behind the scenes.

『 So, I’m sorry to ask but I’d rather leave the work where you have to get your hands dirty to you 』

「 I know that. Jii-chan, ah 」

I noticed.

Why did Jii-chan let this rebellion suppression happen at our school’s festival…

He wants to get it over it without Misuzu and Ruriko knowing about it.

Jii-chan said it earlier.

That it was a shame to the Kouzuki house.

Jii-chan doesn’t want Misuzu and Ruriko to know that there were rebels in the Kouzuki house.

『 Houses sure are complicated. You can’t leave blood relationships. Even if you break it off, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re still blood-related 』

Jii-chan said.

『 There are three members of the Kouzuki house who joined the rebellion. Punishing those three would destroy the entire Kouzuki house. Their parents, siblings, and children are part of the Kouzuki house, and work for the Kouzuki group 』

If it’s revealed that they plotted to assassinate me, it won’t just be them but also their relatives will be affected.

They’ll lose the position in the Kouzuki house, in the group companies, and their parents, siblings, and children will too.

『 Therefore, we’ll make it look like nothing happened on the surface 』

Yeah.

『 However, we still have to punish those who did wrong. They will not be reprimanded in public, but if we don’t punish them behind the scenes, then the same thing will happen again 』

If they carried out a scheme to erase me and got prevented but not penalized.

They’ll think less of Jii-chan and me.

People who will find out about it after the fact will also look down on us.

They’ll make another worthless plan to set me up.

『 The man who leads the three will end up in an accident. That’ll instill fear in the two. I will put a watcher around them at all times. Then, we can suppress them with fear 』

Jii-chan continues.

『 However, there will be no changes made to the current position within the Kouzuki group. If we move them poorly, they’ll just resent me more. That could start another incident in the years to come 」

Problems with blood relatives are complicated

『 Well, enough of that. Anyway, I’ll deal with the Kouzuki house side. Once we pull the fangs out of the three, we can manage and stabilize them 』

「 We’ll continue to be on guard. There’s more who aren’t happy to see me 」

I said.

『 Indeed, don’t let your guard down 』

Jii-chan on the screen smiles.

『 By the way, as for the Ishigami house’s children 』

Oh, about that.

「 Tsukiko had them paused for now. We’ll just erase their memories related to us and then send them back to the Ishigami house 」

These idiot siblings will take some time but it can’t be helped

『 Are you sure about that? 』

Huh?

『 The Ishigami siblings were participating in the plan to take you out, weren’t they? 』

「 No, they were involved in the result… But, that’s only because a guy named Koda sent by the Kouzuki SS rebel group tricked them 」

『 Even if they were tricked, they still caused you trouble. Am I wrong? 』

Well…

『 Or should I say that if those siblings were wiser, that man won’t incite them and they won’t come and meet you, right? 』

Jii-chan asks me.

『 You handled it well so it didn’t cause any problems, but if you hadn’t, the siblings could have been injured, or killed. He could’ve been caught by the police for processing illegal weapons and tarnishing the honor of his family 』

「 I think that’s true 」

『 If someone’s done something to you, then you must always pay back 』

Payback.

『 If you let them go home safely like that, don’t you think the Ishigami house will thank you? 』

「 I don’t think so 」

These guys are idiots.

Rather, they’d fear me and hate me.

「 No, I was thinking of having Tsukiko erase all the memories of our contact 」

『 Then all the hard work won’t have any worth! 』

Err.

「 No, I don’t care about the fuss they made 」

『 That won’t do, you can’t let it slip 』

Jii-chan said.

『 It’s normal for you to go through hardships for your family. But, even your family, is giving a lot of thought to your hardships, don’t they? That’s the reason why you work hard and do not get discouraged. Isn’t that right? 』

「 Yeah, I think so 」

It’s because I have my family…

They smile gently and love me every day.

That’s the reason why I can carry on for my family.

『 However, the Ishigami siblings aren’t your family. They need to repay you for the favor that you’ve done them 』

They would never thank me.

『 Then, the Ishigami siblings must also be punished as a member of the nobility 』

Ishigami Norio and Ishigami Mizuki will be punished?

『 Have you heard of Patricia Hearst’s case? 』

Jii-chan asks me suddenly.

「 No, I don’t know 」

「 Have you watched the movie titled citizen Kane 」

「 Citizen? 」

『 Skip it. There was a newspaper magnate in America named William Hearst who was the model for the movie Citizen Kane. He was a man who made a huge fortune in his lifetime. Patricia Hearst is William Hearst’s granddaughter 』

A wealthy American’s granddaughter.

『 In 1974, Patricia, when she was 19 years old, was kidnapped by a militant group when she ran away from home. Two months later, that organization committed a bank robbery in San Francisco, and Patricia has become a member of the organization over two months, she also participated the bank robbery 』

A wealthy daughter became a bank robber?

『 At that time, a video of Patricia robbing a bank was left in the bank’s surveillance cameras, and it got reported on TV and newspapers, causing an uproar throughout the US 』

Jii-chan on the screen grins.

『 A month after the incident, the police raided the criminal group’s hideout, but Patricia wasn’t arrested, because she happened to be outside. A month later, Patricia sends a tape with photos and her voice to a station in Los Angeles. In addition to declaring that Patricia had become friends with an extremist group, she even called her parents “fascist pigs,” and the fiance her parents picked for her a “sex animal,” causing another uproar in the US when it was broadcasted. Hearst’s house’s honor has fallen to the ground 』

Their granddaughter joined a bank robbery willingly.

『 Patricia’s arrest happened a year later. When the trial began, she pleaded not guilty, saying that she was coerced by the militant group and that she only joined to avoid getting killed. The lawyer alleged that Patricia had been brainwashed in the militant group, but the excuse didn’t go through. Patricia had to go through 35 years of penal servitude 』

「 Thirty-five? 」

『 The case had been brought to attention by the whole country because of the media, saying that the Jury handed down a heavy sentence, thinking of the social impact. However.. 』

W-What?

『 Patricia Hearst’s a daughter of a wealthy family. The Hearst family used various contacts to write a petition to save their daughter. And so, the 35-year sentence was drastically reduced to seven years in prison 』

A fifth?

『 In fact, the Hearsts have moved the president to issue a special pardon with bail set at 1.5M$. In the end, Patricia Hearst won the parole after less than a year of prison 』

From 35 years of penal servitude to 7, the actual was just less than a year.

『 This wasn’t a story of savage dictatorship, it happened in the US a mere 40 years ago 』

Jii-chan said.

『 So. Don’t you think that it’s just a shameful story from start to end? 』

Well…

『 Patricia Hearst joined the bank robbery because she was a kidnap victim suffering from Stockholm syndrome, a condition where the victim sympathizes with the criminals while they were in their company. Still, that was not much. It’s still disgraceful 』

True.

『 I also have granddaughters. Therefore I can’t just pass this off as a laughing matter 』

If Misuzu and Ruriko were to get kidnapped by some weird cult organization.

And she gets arrested for robbing a bank with those people…

Then, the whole society was to cover that process.

That’s the end of the Kouzuki house.

『 The presence of one dumb girl will bring down the honor of this family. We have to make sure we don’t create girls like Patricia Hearst, and we, parents of nobility, can’t forget that. I often tell this story during gatherings 』

Jii-chan said.

『 And, the children of the nobility also must always understand their status and the weight of their actions. If they’re a child of nobility, then they should know that from elementary! 』

But, the Ishigami siblings.

『 Those siblings were clearly lacking in self-respect. They lost their wisdom. They came to a dangerous place on their own and agreed with the bad guys. They nearly disgraced the Ishigami house, and… 』

Jii-chan on the laptop sighed.

『 They weren’t reflecting at all. They didn’t understand what they did. That’s just troublesome. I want someone to kick them on their asses 』

Meaning.

『 They won’t be able to learn if you send them home without punishing them. And, it’s also for your sake 』

I guess it’s wrong of me to just swallow and digest whatever the Ishigami siblings did to me.

『 Give them a scare before sending them home. Give them an unforgettable disgrace 』

Jii-chan tells me.

『 If you don’t go that far, the siblings won’t learn. Let it sink to their mind and body that there are lines they can’t cross 』

That’s…

『 Don’t forget that you’re a part of a criminal group. And, you’re also the man who will control Kouzuki SS and the dark side of the Kouzuki house

I belong to the Black Forest, a criminal syndicate.

Kuromori house belongs in the shadows.

『 Don’t put up to getting underestimated by the Ishigami children. If they did something, return twofold. If not, you will never be feared, and there will always be people who look down on you 』

We managed to end it safely today.

But, if there’s another incident where they try to kill me, my family might get hurt.

「 But, what do I do with the Ishigami siblings? 」

I asked.

It’s a son and daughter of nobility after all.

『 Why don’t you impregnate the woman or anything? 』

Jii-chan said.

『 Kuromori house’s business is a brothel. The head of Ishigami house should know that. If they picked a fight with the Kuromori house, can they expect their daughter to return still a virgin? 』

So I’m raping Ishigami Mizuki?

『 Have fun. Ishigami’s daughter won’t become your woman. The punishment only lasts for the day. You can violate her knowing that』

I…